New Delhi: India defeated England by seven runs despite Jacob Bethell’s stunning 105 in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi-finals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. After Sanju Samson’s brilliant 89 laid the foundation, India posted a mammoth score of 253/7 while England were slumped to 246/7 in what was supposed to be a record chase.
Phil Salt (5), Harry Brook (7) and Jos Buttler (25) fell early but Bethell, supported by Will Jacks (35), kept England chasing. The left-hander hit 7 sixes and 8 fours in a 48-ball blitz, culminating in a knock in the final over that saw India celebrate in front of 35,000 ecstatic fans.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav admitted there was tension as England’s chase unfolded. “It’s very nerve-wracking and the heart rate will be 160-175. The moment we go in, 80 per cent of the seats are already full and hopefully we give the crowd a good game. There will be pressure to compete for the title in India, but the players and support staff will be excited,” he said.
“An unbelievable feeling. Playing in India, leading an unbelievable team. Samson knew what he knew as soon as he came in. The team needed him to do that, and rightfully so. I told Harry how many more we needed to score against them. They were always in the chase, but the way the bowlers pulled the game away was unbelievable,” Surya added.
“You know how capable Bumrah is. We need to give credit to our defensive coach T Dilip. The lads have responded well. The guys have been adding on and it has shown. Till third it was all said and done and when we saw Rashid, Dube was the perfect match,” he said.
Earlier, at Brook’s behest, India smashed 19 sixes and 18 fours to break through England’s attack. Samson signaled his intent with a four and a six off Jofra Archer in the first over but was given a reprieve in the 15th over when Brook spurned a direct chance at mid-off.
Samson took advantage of some wayward bowling to score a half-century off 26 balls, scoring 19 runs off Liam Dawson in the first over. He scored 97 runs from 48 balls with Ishan Kishan for the second wicket before being dismissed by Adil Rashid in the 10th over (117/2). Samson continued to dominate until Jakes returned and caught him off Phil Salt in the 14th over (160/3).
Shivam Dube hit 43 off 25 balls with four sixes before being hit by a direct hit from Brooke. Hardik Pandya’s 27 off 12 and Tilak Varma’s 21 off 7 propelled India to 250.
For England, Jacks was the most successful bowler with figures of 2/40, while the inconsistent Archer struggled, conceding 61 runs in four overs.
India will take on New Zealand in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday, aiming to become the first team to defend the title and the first to win it on home soil.
